The White House grants an immigration benefit to Palestinians in the US

The White House granted an immigration benefit to some Palestinians living in USApreventing them from being deported in the next 18 months.

President Joe Biden signed a memorandum granting the benefit, known as “deferred enforced departure” (DED), which does not apply to people convicted of federal crimes or more than a minor crime.

The Executive explained this decision by citing the deterioration of “humanitarian conditions” in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories following “Israel’s military response” to the “horrible terrorist attack of October 7.”

“While I remain focused on improving the humanitarian situation, many civilians remain in danger; Therefore, I am ordering that the expulsion of certain Palestinians be postponed.” in the US, he stressed Biden in a memo.

The DED can be granted by the US Executive at its discretion and protects its beneficiaries from deportation for a certain period. It does not, however, grant a work permit.

Palestinians in the United States

The Government did not provide an exact figure of how many Palestinians will be able to benefit from this measure. However, according to The New York Times, which was the first to announce the measure, there could be around 6,000.

This decision by Biden comes amid opposition from some members of his party and the civilian population to the unconditional support of the US for Israel, in the face of the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Last November, a group of 100 Democratic legislators wrote a letter to the Democratic government asking that immigration benefits be granted to Palestinians in the country, including the one granted today.

Israel has shown no signs of stopping its attack on the Gaza Strip, attacking this weekend the Gazan city of Rafah, at the southern end of the strip, where most of the almost two million people displaced by the war take refuge.

This Tuesday alone, Gazan authorities reported the death of 133 people after the Israeli offensives, which increased the number of deaths in 130 days of war to 28,473.